112 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



hope of intercepting it, but became entangled among 

 branches and vines. I dismounted and tied my mule, 

 and was two or three minutes working my way to the 

 river, where I saw Augustin's clothes and the teapot, 

 but nothing of him, and, with the rapids roaring below, 

 had horrible apprehensions. It was impossible to con- 

 tinue along the bank ; so, with a violent effort, I jump- 

 ed across a rapid channel to a ragged island of sand 

 covered with scrub bushes, and, running down to the 

 end of it, saw the whole face of the river and the rap- 

 ids, but nothing of Augustin. I shouted with all my 

 strength, and, to my inexpressible relief, heard an an- 

 swer, but, in the noise of the rapids, very faint ; pres- 

 ently he appeared in the water, working himself around 

 a point, and hauling upon the bushes. Relieved about 

 him, I now found myself in a quandary. The jump 

 back was to higher ground, the stream a torrent, and, 

 the excitement over, I was afraid to attempt it. It would 

 have been exceedingly inconvenient for me if Augustin 

 had been drowned. Making his way through the 

 bushes and down to the bank opposite with his drip- 

 ping body, he stretched a pole across the stream, by 

 springing upon which I touched the edge of the bank, 

 slipped, but hauled myself up by the bushes with the 

 aid of a lift from Augustin. All this time it was rain- 

 ing very hard ; and now I had forgotten where I tied 

 my mule. We were several minutes looking for her ; 

 and wishing everything but good luck to the old bag, 

 I mounted. Augustin, principally because he could 

 carry them more conveniently on his back, put on his 

 clothes. 



Reaching the village, I took shelter in the hut of Don 

 Jose Maria, while Augustin, being in that happy state 

 that cannot be made worse, continued through the rain. 



